Bruce Rioch: The manager who brought Bergkamp to Arsenal

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·03 de novembro de 2025

Bruce Rioch: The manager who brought Bergkamp to Arsenal

Bruce Rioch was arguably one of Arsenal’s less successful managers, spending only a single season at Highbury during the mid-1990s.

He was known for his army-style training sessions, making players run laps around the training ground like never before and perhaps not since. The militant Scotsman, who represented his country twenty-four times and scored six goals between 1975 and 1978, was a mythical figure at Bolton Wanderers. He guided the men in white from the Second Division (now League One) to the Premier League within just a few seasons at the start of the 1990s, but he struggled to replicate that glory and status in North London.

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The former First Division winner with Derby County in 1975 was appointed by Arsenal to replace George Graham, who had lost his position after accepting an illegal payment of more than £400,000 from Norwegian agent Rune Hauge in the infamous “bung scandal.”

A former Luton Town manager, Mike Newell, hinted to BBC News later that Graham was likely not the only one involved, saying: “If George Graham is the only one guilty of taking a bung in the last ten years, I would be absolutely amazed.”

The Bergkamp era begins

One of Rioch’s first actions as Arsenal manager in June 1995 was to restore integrity to the club’s reputation by signing one of the greatest players ever to wear the famous red and white shirt.

Dennis Bergkamp, Arsenal’s eleventh all-time top goalscorer with 120 strikes, renowned for his extraordinary vision, would go on to help the club win three Premier League titles, including the Invincible season. He was signed from Inter Milan for a then club record of £7.5 million, a fee that was also a British transfer record at the time.

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The Flying Dutchman scored sixteen goals in his debut campaign, eleven of them in the Premier League. Rioch’s first game in charge of the Gunners ended in a 1-1 draw with Middlesbrough, with Ian Wright equalising to rescue a point on 20th August 1995. Three days later came Rioch’s first win – a 2-0 victory over Everton at Goodison Park, with Wright on the scoresheet again and David Platt adding the second.

Rioch’s early form was promising, losing only once in his first ten league matches, when Chelsea narrowly beat Arsenal 1-0 at Stamford Bridge in late September.

Mixed fortunes and a lasting legacy

Following that defeat, Arsenal endured a difficult run of eleven league games, including four consecutive draws, three defeats and four wins before the Christmas break. They bounced back on Boxing Day with a 3-0 home victory over QPR, where Paul Merson netted twice and Wright added the third.

Arsenal performed respectably in the new year, losing only four times from January to May, finishing fifth in the Premier League and qualifying for the UEFA Cup. However, Rioch failed to beat arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur that season, losing 2-1 at White Hart Lane after leading through Bergkamp, and later drawing 0-0 at Highbury.

In the FA Cup, Arsenal exited early, losing 1-0 to Sheffield United in a third-round replay after drawing 1-1 at Highbury, with Lee Whitehouse’s equaliser proving costly.

The League Cup offered a brighter run. Rioch guided Arsenal to the semi-finals, where they were eliminated on away goals after a 0-0 draw in the second leg against Aston Villa, having drawn 2-2 in front of nearly 38,000 fans in the first leg at Highbury.

Not long after the end of the 1995-96 season, Rioch left the club following a dispute with Chairman David Dein over transfer funds and managerial control.

A blunt but disciplined character, Bruce Rioch will forever be remembered for bringing Dennis Bergkamp to Arsenal – perhaps his greatest achievement during his brief but notable tenure.

Liam Harding

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